Education

"Mushing through History" is a program I developed for elementary school children (K-6.) Local school children visited Grand Portage National Monument and learned about the importance of mushing in their local history. After a short Power Point presentation, the children played a game I developed called “Winter Express.” Winter Express is similar to the Oregon Trail game. The objective of the game was to deliver the mail via dogsled from Grand Marais, Minnesota to Thunder Bay, Ontario. The children were given three dogs. They were responsible for feeding along the trail and they were also given a variety of game pieces (axe, runners, snowshoes, and dog food,) which they would need to use along the way. They had reward and scenario cards along the route. If they landed on a red spot on the route they were given a scenario card. The scenario cards are where they would have to make choices like if they should repair their sled, take a shortcut, cross the frozen lake, and etc. Throughout the game they learned about historical incidents that happened to locals that delivered the mail, these accounts were taken from primary sources such as journals and newspapers.

Online exhibit

This project was completed for the Bicentennial of the National Road. The exhibit, is a counterpart of the on-site exhibit at Fort Necessity National Battlefield.  This is Fort Necessity National Battlefield’s first online exhibit, which was a goal in their new strategic plan.  I developed the exhibit to allow visitors to further explore the National Road.  I included more pictures and artifacts that are not normally viewed by the visitors on-site.  We also decided to include more text and information, so that visitors could learn more in-depth stories and history than they do when they visit the site.

Exhibit Development

This project was completed for the 150th Commemoration of the Civil War in Rutherford County Tennessee.  This nine-panel traveling exhibit was developed to travel around the county for four years.  One of the goals of the exhibit was to interpret the Civil War in Rutherford County through the civilian experience, something that previously had not been done.   

My job was to design all nine panels using Adobe Photoshop.  We wanted a design that evokes the viewer’s feeling.  The color scheme was based on the blue and gray of the uniforms.  You can download one of the panels to see finer details in the design and interpretation. 

Online exhibit

This exhibit focuses on heritage tourism and the Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis Railway. The exhibit covers one hundred years of history, starting with the founding of the railway in 1845 and ending in the 1940s with the decline of passenger travel on railroads. The exhibit specifically details the history of the railroad, the role the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway played in battlefield commemoration of the Civil War, and finally, the railroad’s involvement in community celebrations.

The exhibit was part of a larger class project that explores the historic landscape of Stones River National Battlefield. This project was completed for Dr. Rebecca Conard and her Intro to Public History Class.

Education

These standard-based curriculum packets were completed for Fort Necessity National Battlefield.  The park wanted their programs updated, so that they would include Pennsylvania State standards to entice more school groups to visit the park.  They also wanted off-site and post-visit activities, so teachers could have an assessment tool for their students.  Below are the five standard-based curriculum packets

“How Children Learned” - On-Site 19th Century School House Program

“How Children Learned” - On-Site American Indian Village Program

“French & Indian War Timeline” - Post-visit activity for 4th Graders

“Three Cultures and the American Fur Trade” - Off-site Program for 7th Graders

“Three Cultures and the American Fur Trade” - On-site Program for 7th & 8th Graders

Exhibits

Wynnewood is the largest log structure in Tennessee. In 2008, this National Historic Landmark was hit by an EF4 tornado, which caused extensive damage to the property and structure.  The Tennessee Historical Commission approached the Middle Tennessee State University Public History Program to create two new exhibit spaces after the restoration of the structure was complete.  

With the assistance of the site director, Rick Henderix, and archaeologist, Dr. Kevin E. Smith, we developed two narratives, one is for the orientation space, and the other is for the house exhibit.  We had several challenges with the exhibit narratives--one was that Wynnewood has 12,000 years of history. The history starts with the Pleistocene Era, prehistoric mounds, and goes to the resort era at Wynnewood in the early 20th century.  The other challenge was what story were we going to tell in the house?  With a vast history, we decided to focus on the slave narrative because it was not told in the past. The exhibits are to open in the Spring and Fall of 2012.  To view the exhibit narratives click on the links below. 

Orientation Exhibit Narrative

House Exhibit Narrative